Terry Eagleton The Rise Of English Pdf =link= -
English was initially relegated to mechanics' institutes and women’s colleges. It was viewed as a "feminine" or "soft" subject suitable for those who did not require the intellectual discipline of ancient languages.
He writes that literature was promoted as a "saving grace" – a realm of universal human values, empathy, and sensibility that could "tame" the barbarism of the industrial poor. Where the Bible had once offered moral guidance, the works of Shakespeare, Milton, and George Eliot would now offer "spiritual" sustenance. Terry eagleton the rise of english pdf
Eagleton moves to the early 20th century, focusing on the academics who actually built the English departments (like F.R. Leavis and I.A. Richards). English was initially relegated to mechanics' institutes and